The Dolphins could create more salary cap space by extending Reggie Bush.

It was recently learned that last year’s trade with the New Orleans Saints, which brought Miami tailback Reggie Bush, involved backup safety Jonathan Amaya and a SWAP of sixth-round draft picks in 2012.

This won’t be confirmed until the NFL releases all seven rounds of draft picks, and announces the compensatory picks at the NFL’s owner’s meeting in late March. But I’ve got no reason to believe its false considering the information came from the New Orleans Times-Picayune.

That means the Dolphins got a tailback who in 15 games rushed for 1,086 yards, caught 296 yards worth of passes, scored seven touchdowns, served as a locker room leader, and is presently the face of the franchise. And all this for dropping a couple of spots in the sixth round.

Considering the last few sixth-rounders Miami selected were fullback Charles Clay, offensive tackle Andrew Gardner, who lasted one season with the team, Jalen Parmele, Donald Thomas, Lex Hilliard, Reagan Mauia and Drew Mormino, it turns out that was a pretty solid deal General Manager Jeff Ireland made.

Never mind that the Dolphins were the only team actively pursuing Bush at the time. New Orleans traded Bush to ensure that he didn’t end up in Tampa Bay, playing for a division rival.

Bush, who will earn $4.5 million this season because of the extension Miami gave him during the trade, is entering the final year of his contract.

It is POSSIBLE the Dolphins could extend his deal to create a little more salary cap space. Say Miami adds an extra one or two years at the same salary ($4.5 million a season), and gives him most of the money upfront, it could create approximately $2 million more in spending room.

Bush knows he’s not getting any younger. And considering how much Bush LOVES South Florida’s life – he repeatedly told us so – I’m told that would be something this 26-year-old would be open to doing.

Bush hasn’t firmly put down roots in South Florida YET.

The Dolphins have a vision for Bush moving forward, especially since his skill set fits the west coast offense.

“He’s what we thought we would be. I thought he had a great year,” Ireland said. “I’m excited to have him back on the team.”

Someone refresh my memory, remind me of the last time in the draft that a team reached 6 positions up the draft board and mortgage the future to pluck a qb and it was a successful move for the team. Now please dont use Eli. O by the way i dont think the GMen would of made that move for Eli if his last name was Smith. They did it based partially on his tapes and heavily on his bloodline.

I must admit that Bush was the most pleasant surprise Ireland threw at us last season. He earned his money with that one action. Reggie Bush is better than both Brown and Williams combined, whom he replaced. I can’t wait until the Dolphins get in a west coast offense and give Reggie the ball. Now get us a QB in free agency, whether it is Manning or Flynn, and fill the holes with the draft. Next year teams will be forfeiting rather than come down here and play.

How is signing Peyton Manning right now while drafting another QB (hypothetically Tannehill or Cousins) any different from the time the Giants drafted Eli Manning and started Kurt Warner who looked like a shell of his former self at the time (before miraculously finding himself in Arizona).

I don’t think that bringing Manning in would really set us back much from a personnel standpoint. If anything, it might be a positive as we’d be more likely to trade down and try to get some value for our picks. We also keep all our picks and hopefully use them wisely.

There might be some cap casualties and contract restructuring to bring in a few vets to give Manning the best chance to succeed. I still think with Ireland in charge we’d have a long term focus in place.

My biggest concern would be the QB of the future and offensive system. It’s unlikely that Manning would want to run Philbin’s offense. Even if he did, how effective would he be? What about the rest of the team? If Manning has to limit his reps in practice it’s going to be difficult to develop timing and have the offense running effectively before the season starts.

I don’t think it’s as easy as just dropping a healthy Peyton Manning into the QB slot and counting on 30+ points/game. The sooner Peyton would be able to practice and work with receivers the better. The sooner he can spend time in the film room and on the field with Philbin to determine what the offense would look like the better. His injury status really complicates things.

Then again, maybe it is that easy. Look at how effective Chad Pennington was in 2008 and he was signed a week or two into training camp. Peyton is certainly intelligent and accurate enough to pull it off.

I must admit that Bush was the most pleasant surprise Ireland threw at us last season. He earned his money with that one action
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Rick…

I am not saying that you are one of the people I’m about to mention… but Jeff Ireland has done far better the lest couple of years then a whole bunch of people WANT to give him credit for….

Yes…. He brought in Reggie Bush for nothing more then swapping a 6th round pick position with New Orleans. He also saved Miami from being buried neck deep in Kryle Orton’s 5 year $45 million dollar deal. Doing so even as moron over at the Stadium were booing Henne and chanting Orton’s name at a FREE welcome back the NFL season exhibition practice.

Grabbing Moore was a brilliant from a player evaluation standpoint… he saw what others did not… and it worked out great.

He steered Miami away from McNabb and Young also. I was not crazy about the Daniel Thomas pick last year, I like the player but not the deal… but guys like Pouncey, Clay and Wilson along with a speedster in Gates made it all tolerable and a decent draft.

He just grabbed a RB out of Canada who was basically the best RB in those leagues…. and he did it without even paying the guy a signing bonus… I suspect we will get a decent RB and very little cap hit….

It is very easy to pizzzzz and moan about Ireland…. It is MUCH harder to admit the guy is no complete fool and is getting better and better each year in his job….

I think your post makes more sense than mine. Well done.
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DRG…

It is tongue in cheek stuff of course….. But damn… how many times can we stir the soup until the potatoes start to fall apart…?

I mean no one any disrespect…. However….
I have heard the QB situation in Miami broken down in so many ways… and whined about by media and fans alike so many times… it is beginning to all run together… I would never wish away time…. but would LOVE to see March 8th get here ASAP so we can see if Miami is serious about Manning or just blowing smoke…

Derek, Ireland is the worst GM in football. He wouldnt know an elite QB if one sat in his lap. And 3 picks for a backup RB was insanely stupid. As stupid as the Dez Bryant incident or the misshandling of Harbaugh or Fisher.

People forget that the Fins had only one RB with meaningful playing experience under contract at the time of the draft (Hilliard) and that finding a potential starter was necessary with the FA status of Brown/Williams (thus the trade up to get Thomas who at least had some starter skills).

I for one do not necessarily like Thomas’ running style but the position isn’t always about getting home run after home run (ripping off long yards) and it seems that Thomas is swift enough to push it for 4 yards on every carry.

The biggest surprise to me was how well he could block (he became very good at it so quickly).

Hopefully he can contribute much more next season and that the injury/fumble label he had going into the 2011 draft were overblown.

I wouldn’t make too much out of which offense Philbin or Peyton would run, add in Sherman and those are three very sharp offensive minds all focused on one thing – winning. It isn’t that complicated either, we have a stud receiver, get him the ball, when you don’t we have a speedy Reggie Bush and a guy in Clay who will keep DE’s honest to open the middle stuff. Call the offense whatever you want its still just football.

Cousins clouds the issue for our guys. He’s gonna be a good pro. Sign Manning and then move back gain another second, move back a little further if you can and then snag Cousins in the late first. Then load up on the D in this draft. Curry, Reyes, Robinson…

I think you’re right. Indy’s offense was all about timing and the receivers breaking at exactly the right spot. If there was confusion or bad timing it was ugly. Give everyone a full offseason to work on that and I think the offense would be good right off the bat. I’m just not sure when Manning will be ready to go.

I’ve bashed Ireland pretty hard over the years but I have to say that as a body of work, his trades and picks have been pretty solid. This draft will tell a lot about whether he is willing to go all in on RGIII. My inclination is that he will try to land Manning and use the picks this year to add more talent and depth. As much as I like RGIII I don’t want to give away the farm for him.

Some argue that they have been too safe and that other GMs pass on those same calibur players to hit on homeruns (pro bowlers). I guess for some it is a matter of philosophy, is it better to hit 3 super stars while wiffing on 10 players or hitting on 8 players but none being super stars.

Not to knock your alma matter (which I think you said was Clemson but I’m sorry if I’m wrong), but I read a piece online (provided by user Real 631) which quotes a few NFL scouts opinions on certain 1st round type talents in this year’s draft.

I just wanted to see what your thoughts were.

Brandon Thompson, DT, Clemson: 6-2, 314. Three-year starter with 4½ sacks. “Short and square,” one scout said. “Fits the 4-3 as a DT. I thought he was OK, not great. Kind of a meat and potatoes interior player.” Hails from a program that seems to worry a lot of personnel people. “Those Clemson guys don’t translate to the NFL very good,” another scout said. “They just don’t play well in the NFL.”

Andre Branch, OLB, Clemson: 6-4, 259. Displayed major improvement as a senior when he posted 10½ of his 17½ sacks. “He’s another teaser,” one scout said. “He’s got ability. But he’s a lot of fluff is what I think.” Seems capable of playing in 3-4 or 4-3 schemes. “Clemson always (expletive) me up,” another scout said. “I don’t trust those guys there.”

On the other hand, they had this to say about a couple UNC players:

Quinton Coples, DE, North Carolina: 6-5½, 284. Talented and versatile enough to play any D-line position in any scheme. “At the Senior Bowl nobody could (expletive) block him,” one scout said. “He’s such a smooth, fluid-moving guy. Sometimes it comes so easy to him, maybe he gets bored. He can do anything he wants.” Production and effort appeared to wane as a senior. Labeled a “complete underachiever” in 2011 by another scout. “You want to like him, but I don’t think he plays the run real well,” a third scout said. “He will go in the first, but he scares me. There’s a lot of things that I don’t trust about those (North Carolina) guys.

Zach Brown, OLB, North Carolina: 6-1, 244. Has run 40 yards in 4.45 seconds, making him the speediest LB in the draft. “Unbelievably talented player,” one scout said. “Can run like the wind. Underachiever. Those guys shut it down this year. Those guys are treated with kid gloves down there.” Didn’t become a full-time starter until 2011 when he had 13½ tackles for loss, 5½ sacks and three interceptions. “In the Senior Bowl he was physical,” another scout said. “That’s the first time I ever saw that. He (usually) runs around blocks.”

Matt Moore was a much bigger surprise. Bush was already a star.
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I wouldnt say Reggie was already a Star. Injury riddled, less than Stellar tenure in N.O. never came close to living up to the hype coming out of College.
I would say the girl he was dating made him more of a star than his play on the field. I would also bet that last season with us was the best of his career.
As for Moore; Yes, he was a Godsend. Rescued us from total humiliation, the likes of ‘07
GO PHINS!!!

I’m not necessarily a Jeff Ireland fan…. but I see the planets aligning for 2012 Dolphins….

QB – Get Peyton no matter what. If he can’t go Matt Moore is great insurance until 2013 draft. No reason to mortgage the future on RG3, we have too many holes on D-fense to fill.

Offensive Line – Sign Saturday with Peyton & move Pouncy over. Add some Fresh meat in Free agency. Get Long Healthy. Peyton will do the rest, he knows how to pick up the blitz and get rid of it quick and will pick apart defenses in the AFC.

RB – We are set. Bush, Thomas and the Candian MVP will light it up. Bush will have HUGE year with Peyton’s experience and hot audibles to Bush. Just need to be smart and keep Bush healthy (that means limit him pounding ball up the middle, let Thomas earn his paycheck between the tackles).

Recievers & TE’s – Marshall, Hartline, Best, Fasano can dominate with an accurate passer like Peyton at the helm. Clay& Gates are very talented. Gates needs to work on deep routes, punt and kick returns and use that elite speed to put fear into the opponents every time he’s on the field. Gates & Bush give us a home run threat everytime they touch the ball.

Defense – Use every draft pick possible to find a cover linebacker and Defensive end that can help Wake with pressure and pass rushing. Wish LT didn’t retire! We also need a Nose guard to stiffin up run defense.

Corners & Safties – We may not be as good as Vontae brags but they will get it done in 2012. Really improved in 2nd half of last season and became a strength. With a full training camp don’t see our defense being the weak link anymore.

Coaching – Philbin is smart enough to know if Peyton can go let him run the show. Ride his shirttail to the superbowl! Please please take the prevent defense out of the playbook.

Special teams – Punt and Kick-offs are the fins strength… On Kickoffs – be happy with a touchback, don’t try to get fancy and pin teams back. Devon Best is safe but isn’t a home run threat…. Develop Gates into an elite kick-off & punt returner or find something special in the draft.

Matt I feel where ur coming from we have a lot to be thankful for and things are deff looking better Camp needs work we need to be vigilant and use our tools to SCORE when were in the red zone. field goals dont count we need touchdowns no excuses no fumbles and no dropping passes like last year. We were in a position to win a lot of the games we dropped last year,We need to work on our skills ,We need a Leader,We need Peyton,Our problem was the Red Zone if we seduce him were going to the Playoffs, in 2012 I truly believe that,Peyton is our ticket, Find a way to land him and also call an awesome reciever who will be looking for warmer weather Call Hines Ward he would fit just perfect down here!!!!!

I think the fish have a chance to really be good this season. We know that we need upgrades at QB, RT, RG, TE, DE/OLB to rush the passer, CB, and S. Yes, that’s 7 positions which sounds horrible but…..a great pass rush minimizes a couple of holes in the secondary. If we a pass rusher or two, CB and S can wait a year. Yes, we got torched by the Pats in week 1, but even without a great pass rush, the defense really came on in the second half of the season. Here’s my scenario:
Free Agent Signings
QB – Manning or Flynn
RT to replace Columblow

Draft
1. Trade down for another second and pick the best DE/OLB on the board with the new first round pick.
2. If Manning is our QB pick Tannehill. If Flynn is our QB, another DE/OLB
2. OG
3. TE
4. CB or S
Depth
Keep in mind also, John Jerry is a wildcard. I’m not counting on him, but he could fill the RG or RT position and free up another pick or signing.

If we sign Manning I see no reason to draft Tannehill, Moore is a solid backup. We don’t need Tannehill and waste a first round pick would much rather get a late round prospect or sign another veteran cheap.

If the Dolphins can’t land Manning or Flynn, I will be disappointed but wouldn’t take Tannehill at 8. Would rather fill some other need like a pass rusher or playmaking S and then draft a late round prospect with upside. And let Matt Moore get a full season in Miami under his belt. I still think he deserves that chance.

I’m not one that want’s Ireland fired, even if from our perspective, he did a crappy thing when he stabbed Tony in the back last year when he went shopping for a new coach without telling him. He has brought in some talent and quietly allow other older talent to leave (Ricky & Ronnie) without much fanfare.

OMAR KELLY was unsuccessful at achieving his childhood dream to become a super hero, so he figured he'd do the next best thing and become a journalist who fights against injustice, and searches for truth. After being bored to death reporting news and covering politics, he switched to sports.
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IZZY GOULD joined the Sun Sentinel in Feb. 2012 as a Senior Sports Reporter on the Miami Dolphins beat. He came to South Florida fresh off covering the University of Alabama football program, including its 2011 national championship team. More